Clamping-ring for pipe-couplings.



G. H. WHITE. GLAMPING RING FOR PIPE COUPLINGS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2I1910.

1;036,944, Pa-tented Aug.27,1912.

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COLUMBIA IELANDORAPH CO WASHINGTON, D- C.

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1,036,944. 7 Y Patented Aug. 27, 1912.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE HENRY WHITE, OF OIL CITY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO S. R. DRESSERMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BRADFORD, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OFPENNSYLVANIA.

CLAMPING-RING FOR PIPE-COUPLINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Original application filed June 7, 1910, Serial No. 565,596. Divided andthis application filed November 2, 1910. Serial No. 590,397.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. WHITE,

citizen of the United States, residing at Oil- City, in the county ofVenango and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Clamping- Rings for Pipe-Couplings; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention consists in the novel fea-,

' sectional view of a tube or ring formed by bending a piece of theskelp shown in Fig. 1 into ring form and welding the ends. Fig. 3 is asectional view of the tube or ring shown in Fig. 2 after one end of thesame has been expanded and bent into a plane substantially perpendicularto the axis of the ring. Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the completedring. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of a slight modification of thering. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view showing the ring in operativerelation with a packing ring and the middle ring of a pipe coupling.Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a specially rolled skelp or bar, of thecross section of the finished ring from which the ring may be made. Fig.8 is a detail view of a slightly modified form of skelp orbar.

The object of my invention is to provide a clamping ring for use inrubber packed pipe couplings, for example of the type known in the artas the Dresser coupling, which while affording the proper recess for apacking ring shall be so constructed as to provide great strength with aminimum of metal.

In rings of this class the portion which supports the packing issubjected to great strain in one direction while the part through whichthe bolts pass is subjected to great strain in the opposite directionand it is one of the objects of my invention to so construct the ringthat the pressure exerted by the bolts and nuts will be transmitted moredirectly to the portion which engages the packing, and to avoidthebending or breaking of the ring under strain.

Incarrying out my invention I prefer to form the ring in the followingmanner: I first prepare a skelp or blank, as illustrated in Fig. 1,which comprises a flat plate 1, which is provided on one face with alongitudinally disposed projecting rib 2, located at a distance from oneedge of the plate portion substantially equal to the depth of thepacking recess desired in the finished ring, as indicated at 2. Theskelp is preferably rolled in lengths'sufficient for a number of blanks.A piece of this skelp is out off of such length that when it is bentinto ring form, and the ends united, the diameter of the ring at theinner edge of the rib 2, will accommodate a pipe of given diameter. Theblank so formed by severing a piece of the skelp of the desired lengthis then bent into ring form, by any suitable bending means with the rib2 on the inside, and

the ends are united by welding. In severing the blank from the skelp theends thereof may be so cut as to make a lap weld or a butt weld, and thewelding may be done by fire heat and the use of a hammer or dies, or thering may be welded electrically, as preferred. In any case care shouldbe taken that in the Welding operation the continuity of the-rib 2 shallbe preserved. I find it convenient in carrying out this step of myprocess to heat the meeting ends of the blank in a gas furnace and tohammer weld them by means of a hammer and anvil or peg such as are shownin my former Patent No. 863,477 dated Aug. 13, 1907 the peg in thisinstance being specially constructed to preserve the form and continuityof the rib 2 and the lateral edges of the plate portion 1 of the skelp.The ring thus far formed will be of cylindrical shape, as indicated inFig. 2, with the rib projecting inwardly from its inner face.

The next step in my process consists in bending the longer portion ofthe ring wall, on one side of the rib 2,0utwardly until it is in apositionsubstantially perpendicular to the axis of the ring as shown inFig. 3. This step must be performed in such a way as to avoid tearing orsplitting the metal,

.which obviously must be expanded considerably more at its outerextremities than it is ad acent to the rib, and provision must be madefor preventing any distortion of the other end of the cylindricalring'during this step. This bending of the longer portion of the ringwall into a position substantially perpendiculariwith the axis of thering may beaccomplished in the manner set forth in my application No.565,596, filed June 7,

1910, of which this application is a division or in any other suitablemanner, and it may be performed by hand or by the use of any suitablemachinery or tools. The effect of this operation is to roll down the endportion of the ring into a position substantially perpendicular to theaxis of the ring, thus forming .an outwardly projecting annular flange 1the lower face of which is in substantial alinement with the upper faceof the rib 2. In other words the outer flange 1 is stepped with respectto the rib 2, to afford the requisite metal for the bend, at 1? withoutdistorting the rib, and thus produces a shallow recess 1 on the outerside of the rib. The ring is completed by providing the projectingflange 1 with bolt holes 1 at suitable intervals around the same, whichopposite the plate member.

may be formed by punching (preferably by cold punching) or in any othersuitable man-:

ner. The ring thus formed provides a plate member (represented by theflange portion 1) disposed substantially perpendicularly to the axis ofthe ring, an annular flange member, represented by the cylindrical bodyportion 1 of the ring, extending from one face of the plate member, andhaving an inwardly projecting annular flange (represented by the rib 2)which is out of alinementwith theplate member, and forming a packingrecess 2 on the side of the rib 2,

Itjis to be understood that I may provide means' for standardizing andtruing the por-' tion of the ring which comes nearest the pipe, to wit,the inner face of the rib 2, and the annular flange portion 1. I preferto perform this step of standardizing and truing j before the bending ofthe end portion of the ring perpendicular to the axis thereof, and.

to retain the lower end of the same which forms the packing recess, inits true form during the formation of the plate member 1. I may,however, perform this step after the formation of the plate member 1 andat the same time, or before or after the bolt holes are made, as may befound most convenient. This step is performed by meansof suit-able dies,or by a holding die and an expanding mandrel engaging the lower end ofthe ring wall, and the rib portion 2 thereof, as will be readilyunderstood, without particularly illustrating this step.

The finished ring is shown in Fig. 4. In some instances I may furtherstiffen the ring by bending the outer marginal portion of the flange 1to form an annular flange 1 as shown in Fig. 5.

The ring which forms the subject of my present invention can also bemade by rolling a bar or skelp of the cross section desired in thefinished ring as shown in Fig. 7, having a main portion 11, providedwith a longitudinal rib 12 extending on one side of the same and aflange portion 11 disposed substantially perpendicularly to the mainportion 11 and connected therewith by a curved portion 11", so that theflange ll is stepped with respect to or in a different plane from therib 12, as desired in the finished ring. The ring is formed by taking asection of this skelp or bar, bending it into ring form and welding theends together by electricity or otherwise, a butt, lapped or other styleof weld being employed as preferred.

If it is desired to form the ring with an exterior bent up annularflange as indicated in Fig. 5, the skelp may be rolled with an exteriorflange as shown at 11?, Fig. 8, or the outer marginal port-ions of thepart 11 maybe bent up to form said flange after the ring is made, as maybe found most advantageous or desirable.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a sectional detail of so much of a pipe couplingof the Dresser type as will illustrate its position in use. In thisfigure 20 represents a port-ion of one of the pipe sections to beunited, 21 represents a portion of one end of the middle ring orcoupling sleeve thereof, 22 repre- "sents a section of the packing ring,usually formed of rubber, and 25 represents one of the bolts, whichengage the bolt holes of the clamping ring and connect it with theclamping ring at the other end of the coupling. It is to be noted thatthe pull of the bolt is conveyed in a very direct manner to the packingring through the annular portion of the flange member 1 bet-ween the rib2 and the plate member, which also tends to stiffen the ring, and thepresence of this annular portion prevents the resistance of the packingagainst the rib 2, from co-acting with the boltstrain on the platemember in a cumulative manner, intending to bend or distort the platemember with respect to the flange member, and there is little if anydanger of either therib 2,01 the plate member 1 yielding under thestrains imposed upon them. Should either of said parts yield slightly itwould have no efl'ect of causing the other of said parts to yield, aswould be the case if the part-s were in the same plane.

It is also to be noted that as shown in the drawing, the flange memberof the ring has a cylindrical portion or wall between the rib 2, and theplate member, which is parallel to the bolts, and the bolt holes in theplate member are placed so that their inner edges are very close to thesaid cylindrical portion. Hence the portions of the heads or nuts of thebolts extend over the said cylindrical wall thus bringing the strainmore directly in the length of the wall and the bolts lie very close tosaid cylindrical wall, which will prevent the bolts from bendinginwardly to any appreciable extent under strain. This constructionproduces an exceedingly strong ring and slicetively prevents anymaterial bending of the plate member, and the inward bending of thebolts which would otherwise accompany the same.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The hereindescribed clamping ring for rubber packed pipe couplings formed fromwrought metal and comprising an annular plate member disposedsubstantially perpendicularly to the axis of the ring, a cylindricalflange member formed integrally with the inner edge of. the platemember, and extending to one side thereof and parallel with the axis ofthe ring, said flange member being provided on its interior between theplate member and its outer end with an inwardly extending annular ribforming the base of the packing recess, the inner edge of said ribforming the pipe aperture of the ring, said plate member being providedwith a plurality of bolt holes, to receive clamping bolts, whereby acylindrical wall is provided between the plate member and the saidannular rib, extending alongside of and parallel to the bolts, therebyreinforcing the ring and preventing the strain on the rib and platemember from cooperating to distort the ring.

2. The herein described clamping ring for rubber packed pipe couplingsformed from wrought metal and comprising an annular plate memberdisposed substantially perpendicularly to the axis of the ring, acylindrical flange member formed integrally with the inner edge of theplate member, and extending to one side thereof and paral lel with theaxis of the ring, said flange member being provided on its interiorbetween the plate member and its outer end with an inwardly extendingannular rib forming the base of the packing recess, the inner edge ofsaid rib forming the pipe aperture of the ring, said plate member beingprovided with a plurality of bolt holes having their inner edges closeto the outer surface of the flange member, whereby the heads or nuts ofthe clamping bolts will extend over the end of the cylindrical wall ofthe flange member lying between the plate member and said annular rib,and said cylindrical wall will prevent the bolts from bending inwardly,adjacent to the heads or nuts thereof.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE HENRY WHITE.

Witnesses:

J. G. MoGLIN'rooK, MICHAEL B. KENNEDY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. V

